Baruch College Hosts First Annual Conference on Future of Region’s Airports

New York, NY, June 7, 2010 – Baruch College’s Newman Real Estate Institute, in partnership with the CUNY Aviation Institute at York College; the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems; the University Transportation Research Center at City College, CUNY; and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, presents a major conference on the future of airports on Monday, June 14. Titled “Airports: 21st-Century Makeovers for the New York Metro Region,” the conference features more than 20 top officials and executives with expertise in aviation, economic development and public policy.

In a series of keynote addresses and panels, speakers will examine how airports, particularly those in the New York City area, will accommodate growing air traffic amid the metro region’s general expansion, while also increasing safety and efficiency and meeting sustainability goals. Discussion will include an overview of NextGen, the new air transportation system from the Federal Aviation Administration that will eventually replace the use of radar in airports. NextGen will bring about a transformational shift from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management. Implementation of NextGen is expected to bring about a more efficient use of airspace and reduce risks, holding patterns, fuel consumption, carbon emissions and noise pollution nationwide.

Keynote speakers are Christopher O. Ward, Executive Director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Robert Maruster, Chief Operating Officer, JetBlue; and Art Torno, Vice President-New York, American Airlines. Among other speakers are the following:
• The Honorable Gregory W. Meeks, U.S. Congress, 6th Congressional District (NY)
• Kathryn S. Wylde, President & CEO, Partnership for New York City
• Madelyn Wils, Executive Vice President, Planning Development and Maritime, New York City Economic Development Corporation
• Tom Bock, General Manager, Airspace Modernization, The Port Authority of NY & NJ
• Michael Romanowski, Director, NextGen Integration & Implementation, Federal Aviation Administration
• Tom Rossbach, National Director of Aviation Architecture, HNTB
• Susan M. Baer, Director of Aviation, The Port Authority of NY & NJ
Jack S. Nyman, Director of the Newman Real Estate Institute at Baruch College, observes that the real estate industry, the entire business sector and the public policy community all have a direct stake in the future of the region’s airports. “The alliance among our conference sponsors is unusual, and notable,” he points out. “It signals recognition of the need to build long-term, widespread, collaborative support for the investments that are essential to maintaining our airports’ competitiveness in the global marketplace.”